Of Normalcy and Magic
by lightofeilia
Summary: Based on the book Practical Magic. The Strifes were feared and hated by the townspeople for being different. The Strife brothers, orphaned, only had each other... until love saved them from loneliness. AU LC, ZC, AR, RS, Zemyx
1. Chapter 1

Inspired by the story Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

Crack pairing: SephirothDemyx. LOL. Don't worry, you'll see why later on in later chapters. It won't last, I promise. Lol.

Pairings: Mentions of CloudZack, future CloudLeon, future ZexionDemyx, AxelRoxas, RikuSora. WARNING. MPREG. BUT NOT IN THIS CHAPTER. LOL.

**Disclaimer: lightofeilia does not own. Square does. Alice Hoffman, part of it, I suppose. Practical Magic is LOVE. Go read it! **

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Of Normalcy and Magic: Chapter 1

They grew up in a small town, Hollow Bastion was the name; tucked away somewhere in the big world, relatively peaceful with minor scuffles or crime. They kept to themselves mostly, the Strifes were never known for being friendly with the rest of the townspeople. Actually, it was the other way around; the rest of the townspeople were never known for being friendly with the Strifes.

In fact, if anything were to go wrong in that town, the blame was immediately put on the Strifes, with their wicked ways of witchcraft and magic, powers that only run in the blood of that family, never mind that there wasn't any definite proof.

The rumours had started long ago, so the current generation of the Strife family really could not seek vengeance or at least do something horrible to the people who had spread this - this propaganda of sorts - against their family who had done nothing wrong but produce male children with haunting, blue eyes, but really, the people were just too accusing and too speculative for their own good.

Not to mention very, very dumb.

Of course, the rumours of magic in their blood weren't _entirely _unfounded accusations...

Nevertheless, the Strifes kept to themselves as much as they could, ignoring the whispers behind their backs whenever they went out for a stroll, or to the market to buy groceries.

Although the Strifes seemed like a household name, in reality the only people living in the Strife mansion were Merlin, the senile old man whom the townspeople were deathly afraid of as he had been around since like forever, and two little boys sent to live with him after their parents had been killed. In fact, the only Strifes living now were these two little boys, Cloud and Demyx.

Cloud and Demyx had only each other to rely on for comfort, and though they played together as much as little boys do, very seldom fights would occur between the two brothers with blonde hair and fluorescent blue eyes yet with personalities like polar opposites. Night and day, they were called, and truly, they were. Demyx was perpetually energetic and playful, often dragging his older brother around by the hand, whereas Cloud was shy and quiet, and often showed his happy side with a quirky half-smile.

Most normal people would have stopped to look at the two boys and comment about how well-behaved they are, yet the people of Hollow Bastion would sooner castrate themselves than admit that.

The children of the other townspeople were often warned about playing with the Strifes. Despite trying to be friendly, Demyx was often shot down cruelly by many of the children; and apparently, bullying was okay if it was against the Strifes. Unspoken rule. Cloud would grit his teeth and protect his younger brother, not even flinching when he was hurt by the many stones that they threw at him. Most times he just shielded Demyx from the hurt. Sometimes he gained enough courage to throw them back. These children would later run back home crying with singed sleeves and pants, though neither of them could explain how except that Cloud had done it, one way or another.

Cloud endured it all, and he didn't need friends, not really, to him the concept of it seemed so ... so _alien_. Were friends those who immediately crossed to the other side of the street wherever they walked? Did friends throw stones at you or protect you? Cloud didn't know, at that young tender age, and he tried hard to fit in until the day he saw his own brother being treated in the same way, and he realised what a fool he'd been.

"Fuck them all," Cloud once said quietly to Demyx, two years younger than him. Demyx would stare at him adoringly, with sad blue eyes, and Cloud knew all he really wanted was a friend. And a brother who doesn't cuss and use magic openly, but he would never say that.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Demyx, biting his lip, worried, as he watched the children run down the street with burn marks on their clothes.

"Don't worry about it, Demyx."

"Don't you understand?" yelled Demyx. "You're just making them see that we CAN do magic! You're not helping at all!"

And Cloud would have yelled back, would have shouted that it doesn't matter whether or not they can do magic, or if they show it, nothing would change the fact that no one wants to befriend them; but Demyx was already storming back into the house, possibly to seek comfort and guidance from Merlin.

Merlin - the old man who wasn't related to them, yet took care of them - didn't know how to raise a child properly. In fact, there would be much debate on what constitutes the word 'properly'. He taught them, yes. He provided for them. He told them of magic and the power coursing through their veins. He told them how they were _special_. And how being special meant that people didn't understand, and people were afraid of what they didn't understand. But were there bedtime stories and goodnight hugs? No. Teachings of manners? Barely. Bedtime hours and homework? Merlin didn't particularly care.

But when Demyx woke up crying with damp sheets and a high fever, Merlin knew how to comfort him, as old a man as he may be, and his brewed potions could do better than any doctor in Hollow Bastion, ten times over. When Cloud came home with scratches and bruises, he reasoned with the boy and treated his wounds, skillfully directing the anger and sorrow away. And this is how Cloud and Demyx Strife grew up in the shoddy town of Hollow Bastion.

School was a pain, Cloud knew, and he threw a spectacular tantrum when it was time for Demyx to begin his schooling, because Demyx was still young and easily hurt; he had not grown up in the space of six years like Cloud had.

Still, education was education, and Demyx was sent to the only school in Hollow Bastion. Cloud figured that they might as well have just gone to hell directly, and back again, and _again_, but Merlin would not listen.

Cloud was mercilessly teased, often being called a 'witch', and when he pointed out haughtily that only witches were girls, the tauntings hadn't stopped and had escalated to a meaner level, finding girl's jewelry and cosmetics in his locker and table. Cloud took this with apparent ease, and he didn't seem to do anything about it unless the pranks went on too far (mostly when they concerned Demyx).

Demyx, however, suffered through his first year much the way he suffered previously before school started, except this time Cloud wasn't there to protect him.

He tried his best, really he did. But Demyx was never one to ignore people, and he didn't like being ignored either. So when people pranked him, he pranked back. Cloud could utilize most magic and seem to be comfortable with it, but Demyx always had an unusual affinity for water. He used this for revenge on some of his classmates. Most of the time when he went to the washroom, he made the taps spray forceful water at the faces of those mean bullies, and sometimes they got too scared to prank him for a week. He sat beneath a tree, alone, and flicked water bullets (harmless, of course) at people and managing to drench their entire being in a single shot.

And so, for the first six years of school they held on. Cloud had been too used to ignoring people, so it wasn't much surprise when he was soon ignored rather than being picked on. The more he aged, the mellower he grew, although on the inside something had broken and seemed like it would never be fixed, ever again. Loneliness was his company now, together with Demyx, and Merlin, and his only comfort was the other lessons Merlin had been teaching them, especially with the use of their magic. Cloud's quiet disposition made the teachers sometimes stop the bullying, but never once did the teachers stand up for him and punish the other kids for doing those things. Cloud never seemed to utter any more words except when it was to speak to Demyx.

Demyx never did make any friends, despite his many tries to fit in, and the more he aged, the more outrageous he grew, and although his temper wasn't as bad as Cloud's, he often lost it quickly enough. As quick as he was to blow up, however, he was even quicker to cool down. By the end of the first year, Demyx had all but given up when he'd finally realized things were never going to change. Fellow classmates tried to trip him and steal his things. Often he was the target of many paper balls (which he dodged easily enough) with crudely drawn art of a burning witch at a stake. He once found a dead rat in his locker, stabbed with some kind of sharp, pointy object, and a piece of paper stuck to it with the words WITCH and EVIL, and he thought he'd never laugh harder in his entire life. Witches were people hiding in human skins, quick to taunt and quick to laugh at children who've lost their parents. Witches were people afraid of so many things they never realised what they've broken when they condemn whatever the heck it is they're afraid of without even daring to question why.

Once, when he was young and someone had told him he had witches' blood, he took a knife and cut a small wound in his hand to see the blood that flowed within him. He knew how the blood of other people looked like, once Cloud's anger had gotten the better of him and a stone had hit directly on the forehead of some stupid boy, the jagged edge being sharp enough to cut. He saw the redness and the blood that trickled down.

So when he saw his own blood, he was confused and puzzled. (Cloud had had a screaming fit when he bandaged him up later, but that was to be expected).

Demyx knew he wasn't a witch, but he knew he wasn't all normal either. They wanted to be normal, of course, but they never could be, not when they were born into a family already so 'evil' and 'wicked'.

The brothers often sparred with each other in the backyard of their mansion, unseen by people as no one dared to come within ten feet of the mansion itself. Honing their skills, they enjoyed practicing their magic Merlin had taught them, and often Cloud would end up drenched in water and Demyx's clothes torn and singed in places where Cloud's fire had burned him.

It was only in Cloud's fourth year that he and Demyx became more feared than ignored. It was the day when three chocobos followed Cloud to school. Merlin was a breeder, that was how he earned the extra money as well, but because no one visited the Strife mansion no one ever knew. Chocobos were extremely rare, and only rich people seemed to have them, so it was not surprising that Cloud drew looks of resentment from the other kids when they finally figured out what those unusual-looking birds looked like.

"Go away," Cloud whispered to one, trying his hardest to ignore the stares and catcalling. It didn't help that the kids now know what a chocobo looked like, and new names were being called, "Chocobo Cloud, Chocobo Cloud, ride on his back, the Chocobo-Cloud" and he was furiously blinking back tears when his chocobos didn't listen to him, warking and cooing gently at the foot of his table.

"Get those birds outta here, Strife," barked the teacher angrily, upset at the disruption in his class.

The tauntings didn't stop. One boy decided he'd have a bit of fun with some matches and lit one of the tails on fire.

Something flashed in Cloud's eyes. The fire was put out in a second, no sweat, thanks to Cloud's magic abilities, but when he turned around and stopped the boy's laughing with a single stare, everyone gasped when they saw the boy go frigid and stop moving, his expression frozen into a mask of horror.

Later that day Cloud would tend to the chocobo's injured tail and ignore Demyx's words of comfort; later that day the boy's parents would shout and scream at Merlin outside the door of their house even after being given the antidote to an out-of-control Break spell, later that day Cloud would realise that really, death seemed a lot better than to live in a living hell that was for certain never going to change anytime soon...

..until the day Cloud began high school. Things changed so drastically that Demyx knew that normalcy would never come, ever.

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So what do you think? I hope you liked it! It's very very familiar to the story of Practical Magic, except that this one doesn't really have that much of the witchcraft in like, Wicca, but more of the Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts magic in here.

I realize that Cloud and Demyx as brothers are UNIMAGINABLE but ... T.T bear with me? Please?

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Only two reviews? -sobs-

**Disclaimer: lightofeilia does not own. Square does. Alice Hoffman, part of it, I suppose. Practical Magic is LOVE. Go read it! **

**Of Normalcy and Magic: Chapter 2**

The instant Cloud began high school, suddenly all the boys who ever threw stones at him and teased him woke up at night, shivering and shaking on wet sheets; lucid dreams of a luscious, sultry blond below them, moaning wantonly with need. These boys would find themselves feeling guilty - the object of their dreams was another BOY, for god's sake - and no, really, they don't swing that way. All the girls who whispered about him behind his back suddenly couldn't keep their eyes off him, and classes were spent daydreaming on what it would be like to go steady with this quiet, mysterious, handsome boy. Girls looked at him and grew dizzy just staring. Boys looked at him and had to fight to conceal their raging hard-ons, forcing themselves to think hard about girls and long hair and a pretty face and figure, desperately pushing away the images that threatened to take over their lust-clouded mind.

In fact, it seemed only a matter of time before Cloud was jumped in the hallways of his school.

What had happened, though, to make a sudden turnabout in the life of this one humble Cloud Strife?

It wasn't as if his looks had changed the day he entered high school. He'd been born with this pretty face, so how come no one ever noticed it before?

Cloud came home the second day in a fit of rage. Dumping his bag unceremoniously on the kitchen floor, Cloud stalked over to Merlin and demanded, "Did you spike the town's water supply with a Lust potion or something?!"

"My dear boy," began Merlin, as Demyx started to snicker, whispering in awe, "He can actually _make _that?"

"Your turn will come soon, Dem," added the old man, ignoring the wide-eyed stare he received in return.

"My dear boy," continued Merlin, "When a member of the Strife household turns thirteen ­--"

"-- oh dear **Gaia **fuck _no_."

"I will not have blasphemy in my house, thank you very much," said Merlin, frowning down at him, completely disregarding the fact that they were the only people who worshipped the Goddess Gaia. "There's nothing to worry about, Cloud. You can protect yourself just fine."

"I never asked for this... I just want to be left alone! Now they'll be ... hounding me wherever I go! This is insane!"

"But, Cloud, I don't understand... they like you now, see? You can make friends now!"

Cloud glared at him, making Demyx shrink back a few inches.

"I don't want friends. I don't need them."

"But -"

"Besides," Cloud cut him off rudely, "these people don't want to be friends. All they're interested is in fucking me."

"Are you offering?" said Demyx cheekily, grinning.

"_No_," said Cloud vehemently, and stormed off to his room.

Cloud would have gone through the five years of high school without complaint, really he would have, but he didn't, in the end.

It had started with the first love confession...

_"You love me?" said Cloud, blinking confusedly, staring down at the girl who was stuttering and blushing furiously._

_"Yes," said the girl breathlessly. "With all my heart," she added, for good measure._

_They stood for what seemed like an eternity, the girl fidgeting under Cloud's hollow, measured stare. _

_"I remember you now," said Cloud finally._

_"H-huh?" _

_"You. I don't know your name, but I remember you now. You blamed me for your skinned knees when you fell off the monkey bar in the playground."_

_"I - I didn't - we were _kids _-"_

_"Hmm..." Cloud tapped a delicate finger to his chin. "What was it you used to call me?"_

_"I - But, Cloud, it was a long time -"_

_"I think the correct words were 'evil witch' ... or was it something else?"_

_"No, I didn't mean -"  
_

_"__**Liar**__," hissed Cloud, and the girl took a startled step back. Cloud's beautiful eyes closed, dismissing the girl, before he walked off without a glance back. _

...And the next...

_"I remember you too," said Cloud, casually taking his books from his locker as he spoke to yet another admirer who was beside him. Frowning at the five love letters, he tore them all in half before throwing them into the trash. This action had garnered an audience, watching and listening. The girl clutched her books to herself even tighter._

_"You don't love me. At least, not when we were young."_

_"But that's the point -"  
_

_Cloud turned to face her. She inhaled sharply, but never backed down from his gaze. Cloud lifted a hand and gently touched the surface of her books. _

_"You... you told everyone not to touch anything if I've touched it ... pencils ... crayons ... erasers... "_

_He leaned in closer, masking the pain inside with a facade of indifference. The girl was shaking, but she knew it, she knew what she had done, and all the other children had done. _

_"Some even went so far as to ..." here Cloud plucked a book out of her hands, "_throw _them away immediately after."_

_The book landed in the trashcan, and only a sob was heard in the hallways, and the sound of footsteps as Cloud walked away._

Even the boys...

_"I turned down all the girls. Does that make you think I'm gay?" _

_Startled by the sudden question, the boy who confessed to Cloud shook his head. _

_"You threw stones at me when I was young, didn't you?" _

_"No, I didn't."_

_The reply stunned Cloud, and for a moment he was going to scream LIAR at the top of his lungs, but when he scrutinized the other boy's face, he found that there was no lie in his words. _

_Yet the face looked familiar, somehow..._

_"Oh, right ... you didn't," agreed Cloud finally. The other boy exhaled in relief, not even realising he'd been holding his breath._

_"No, you were the one who kicked me off the swing," said Cloud sweetly._

_"Wha -"_

_And Cloud saw truth, and walked away again. _

Cloud would have given them a chance, at least to be friends, if they really wanted to. But he knew it was all a lie.

Because none of them had the courage to tell him that they were sorry.

The last straw came when an all-too-familiar boy decided that _hey, Strife boy would look pretty good hanging off my arm, so why don't I get my ass over there and try to sex him up? _

"Do you _want _to be turned to **stone **again?" hissed Cloud through gritted teeth, and a collective gasp echoed throughout the audience that had gathered to watch.

Ah, the perks of a small town where everyone knew each other. Cloud never forgot who did what to him, and he would never forgive either, for a very long time ahead.

He quit school that very day, and as he left the stone steps of the building without even looking back once, he wondered if he had granite in place of where his heart should have been, frozen stone like the spell he never got to cast at that infuriating boy.

That night, however, he spent his time making dinner with a smile, humming along to a favourite tune, and even Demyx had to smile at the way his older brother was acting.

"Merlin, can I quit school too?"

"No."

"But Cloud can do it - "

"It does not mean that you can too. But wait until you are thirteen, then we shall see."

"Awww..."

"You know, Merlin ... I've always wondered... how exactly do the townspeople know about us?"

"What do you mean, Cloud?"

"I mean, we weren't born here, right? This house is only _unofficially _named the Strife mansion. Were my parents born here?"

"No... But this is the ancestral house of the Strife family, and it has been around for generations. The townspeople here ... most of them have never left, building families of their own in this town, so naturally those rumours were passed down as well."

"You mean ... Demyx and me ... "

"Have been the first Strifes to live here ever since your grandparents moved away."

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Cloud continued practicing his magic, and this time he had picked up a weapon of choice: a sword. He spent most of his time looking after Demyx, cooking and cleaning the house. Truth be told, he felt like a little maid.

Demyx continued school, and he held his breath when he stepped inside the high school compound for the first time. Finally, he'd have friends. He'd have people eating out of his hands.

_But what if Merlin was lying? _

_What if only Cloud was beautiful, and he was not? _

He entered the classroom, and there was pin-drop silence.

"Holy shit," breathed someone from the back of the classroom, effectively breaking the loud silence.

Demyx smirked, erasing all doubts about himself.

Half the class swooned.

His smirk widened.

The rest dropped.

Demyx took to his rising star status like a professional. He greedily took all the attention that people gave to him, absorbing everything he could even though deep down he knew it was all a lie. Cloud knew this and shunned it. Demyx knew this, but could not stay away. And it was worse because Demyx was lying to himself.

He broke people's hearts like breaking a bar of chocolate. Girls, boys, all who fell in love with him never seemed to realise that this little boy had grown into something beautiful, and all they want was what they saw. They didn't see the same boy who would cry behind his elder brother's back when he shielded them from flying stones. They didn't see the same boy who had no friends when he was young, they didn't see anything except how they wanted him.

"It's not love, Demyx."

"I know it's not love, Cloud."

"Oh."

"I'm just toying with them. Make them pay for what they did last time."

"And tell me, Dem, somewhere in you, is something dying at all?"

"...No. No, there isn't."

Demyx put all of this aside. His revenge was planned, or actually it was indirectly unplanned. He broke off relationships whenever he fancied. He played a few mind tricks now and then, with the whole "it's not you it's me" facade, but although Demyx went through almost half the town's teenagers of his age, he never slept with either of them. He's had a few make-out sessions, oh yes, completely hot, now and then, but he'd never sleep with any of them, even though they might have whored themselves up to him.

Whatever the case, it seemed like the magic hit the most at the age of thirteen. After two years had gone pass, things were slowly starting to revert to normal. No doubt Demyx looked as hot as ever, but the resentment of being rejected or treated like trash began to rise again and they soon stopped loving him.

He knew better. They never did love him in the first place. To him, it was no loss at all.

Until the day Demyx fell in love.

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Merlin worried about Cloud.

Without school to occupy his time, it was only a matter of time before the blond grew crazy with nothing to do, absolutely nothing. Cloud refused to go out, refused to socialize (he had scoffed at Merlin at the very suggestion, saying he hadn't had a social life since he was a goddamn kid), and all he did was clean the already-sparkling clean house, train with his sword and magic, relax and spend time with the chocobos.

Cloud didn't mind, not really. He was content. He hadn't seen a face he so desperately wanted to punch in months.

Watching Demyx go through half the town in a matter of months really, _really _made Cloud wonder if the Strife family had hearts made out of stone.

Yet on the day Demyx fell in love, with some guy named Xigbar, whoever he is, Cloud felt oddly reassured that he would fall out of the relationship in time. Demyx really did seem lovestruck, swooning and sighing all the time like a _girl_, and Cloud could feel his toes curl with distaste.

It took about 5 months before Demyx broke it off for another guy. Cloud had sighed when he heard the news, and simply shook his head.

Then, when Demyx turned eighteen he fell in love and stayed there long enough to decide he was going to run away and get married, away from the life of a shunned person bearing the name Strife. (Madly in love as he was, he conveniently forgot the fact that he was running off with one of the townspeople who used to shun him). He had to elope since Merlin had refused to give his blessing, and neither did the parents of the other guy.

It was the middle of the night and Merlin was asleep.

"I'll call, I'll write, I promise," said Demyx, tears in his eyes.

"Sure you will," replied Cloud, smiling the same quirky half-smile. He didn't know why he didn't object to Demyx's love affair, he just knew that staying would be even worse.

Demyx stared at his brother one last time, drinking in the sight of his beloved guardian. Cloud looked impossibly tired and weary.

"Come with us," he pleaded.

"Someone has to stay," said Cloud, his voice hoarse.

Vexen, the guy who was supposed to be eloping with Demyx, began to grow nervous. Demyx was renowned for breaking things off at the most impossible times.

"I'll miss you so much," said Demyx, hugging Cloud.

"Go," said Cloud, crying freely now, "Go now."

There were a thousand stars in the sky, and Cloud spent the whole night counting them all until he heard Merlin wake up.

For the next two years postcards would arrive from Demyx, and this is how Cloud knew that Demyx hadn't married Vexen after all; he'd run off with the guy who worked at a bar in a town they stopped by. The postcards had no forwarding address, however, and Cloud knew that Demyx would have been lucky if the letters he wrote back somehow managed to reach him. It seemed like Demyx fancied the life of one always on the run (but not from the law) and he could never stay long enough in one place.

And on the other hand, how was Cloud doing?

Cloud was practically a master swordsman now, and also possibly the best household cleaner in the town. His life was so routine that he sometimes wanted to scream and scream and never stop; sometimes he resigned himself to it and dragged himself out to buy whatever was necessary, and on those nights he couldn't sleep he would count the stars in the sky and wonder why Demyx left and why hadn't he left too.

Demyx can go looking for all the love. Cloud didn't want anything to do with it.

But who can avoid love forever?

Love crept up like a dog behind him, tailed him everywhere, so that one day when he walked into the small mini mart in the town to buy groceries, just like on any other normal day, love drew its arrow and struck him hard.

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Enter Zack next chapter! :)

Well ... I hope you liked it, and if you did, please leave a review! Even a short one is enough to keep me going. Thank you!

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Only four reviews? -sobs- C'mon guys, what does it take? Does this story really suck or what?

**Disclaimer: lightofeilia does not own. Square does. Alice Hoffman, part of it, I suppose. Practical Magic is LOVE. Go read it! **

**Of Normalcy and Magic: Chapter 3**

Cloud experienced the greatest shock of his life when he walked into the grocery store that morning.

There was nothing very extraordinary about that day; nor was it a completely different and abnormal one, it seemed like the kind of day Cloud experienced all the time. Which was, to say the least, full of utter crap and meaningless routine. So, he really didn't expect anything to, well, _happen_.

But he walked into the store that morning, calm as ever, and he vaguely registered the presence of another man standing at the cashier and looking just like _the _little ray of sunshine, beaming down all his happiness onto everyone. It took him awhile before he realized that he had never seen this guy before.

"Good morning!" he chirped happily, and Cloud jumped. He stood there for quite a minute, until the cashier asked, "Um. Are you ... alright?"

"W - what did you say?"

"I asked if you were alright, y'know, I mean you're kinda like standing there doing nothi - "

"Before that, I mean."

"... I said ..."

There was a pause in which the man tried to remember. Normally such a display of stupidity would have Cloud either commenting or scoffing or just _ignoring_, but this time Cloud took the opportunity to look at this very new brave being who had dared to wish him a good morning, and sound like he actually meant it. He had dark hair, and spikes just like Cloud's except that it was styled backwards and not the mess like Cloud's was, and he was tall and fit and although he looked ridiculously ridiculous in that cashier's apron and a tiny hat, Cloud had to say he looked pretty good.

"Um... I said..."

And Cloud thought, _oh dear, the poor thing. He has short term memory loss. _

"You said good morning," said Cloud helpfully.

"Yeah, that's right. I wished you good morning," here he paused, feeling awkward, probably wondering what the hell was wrong with saying good morning. "Annnnnnd I'm gonna wish you again. Hah. Good morning!"

"Good ... morning," said Cloud uncertainly. The man flashed his pearly whites at him, and it managed to draw out a half-smile from his traitorous mouth.

Of course, the moment was kind of ruined when Cloud finally noticed the small audience they had.

Without saying anything Cloud turned his back on the whispering townspeople and walked up and down the small aisle to select his purchase. He was still pondering the mystery of that man and he wondered_, Could someone have moved in here? Or have I been mistaken and he's always been here?_

"What do you mean he's dangerous? He looks as harmless as a fly! Which is well, harmful, actually, but you know what I mean!"

"Shhhhhhhh!"

Cloud had to stifle a chuckle. No doubt the townspeople had tried to tell this new man that talking to him is very dangerous. And man he was being way too inconspicuous.

"I'm telling you I don't believe you, okay? And stop backstabbing him, I can judge a person for myself!"

"Goddammit, not so loud okay, he can hear you!"

Cloud wordlessly approached the little crowd, intent on breaking the whole fuss up and getting away with buying his stuff in peace.

"Things said out are meant to be heard! You guys are rude! And do you know what _century _we're in now? There's no such thing as magic!"

"He's a monster!"

"This _monster_," began Cloud silkily, and the guy who said that turned around so fast he probably got whiplash and a heart attack, "would like to buy his things now, and go home."

"Y - you shouldn't be here!"

"Then where should I be? In your bed? Warming you up? Wasn't that what you wanted 6 years ago? Hmm?" He turned back to the cashier, waving the items in his face. "Are you gonna do your job or what?"

"Um, sure! Hold on a sec," said the man, flashing him another smile.

"Who would want a witch like you in their bed? I was young and stupid at that time when I said that," said the guy in disgust.

"You still are," said Cloud, frowning as he stared the man down. "Yeah, you still are."

"S - shut up, you witch!"

"Here you go, your things ... and ... um. Does this happen everyday?"

"Why don't you ask them?" said Cloud. He graced him with a small smile before walking out of the shop.

On the way back home, Cloud realized he had actually smiled twice that day. Which was a miracle, considering that Cloud rarely smiled ever since Demyx left.

* * *

Three days later, Cloud experienced his second biggest shock.

Cloud had found it odd when he heard a really loud banging noise downstairs that morning. It took him awhile before the sound registered to his brains as a visitor knocking on the door. But really, _no one_ knocked on the door of the Strife mansion. Absolutely no one.

So he sat there on his comfy bed for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

"Get the door, Cloud! I'm busy!" yelled Merlin from the basement, and though the man was so old Cloud had to wonder how on earth he managed to project his voice like that.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Cloud ran down to answer the door, a surge of annoyance welling up in him. He reached the doorknob and wrenched it open so hard the man at the doorstep took a startled step back.

"Um, hi. Remember me? Ehehe."

Cloud's eyebrows disappeared beneath his hair. The guy who worked at the store, the one who had greeted him a happy, cheerful good morning - was standing outside his doorstep, looking as awkward as ever but seemingly unafraid.

"So, you gonna let me in or what?"

"...Sure, I suppose. Come in," said Cloud. The guy didn't look harmless. And if anything happened he'd be fried by ten Firagas faster than he could say "Chocobo Cloud."

"Aha. Anyway. My name's Zack, what's yours?"

"Cloud."

"Cloud? Mmm. Like the ones in the sky?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Cloud said, "Yes."

"Well then, Cloud, pleased to meet you!" said Zack, grinning widely at him before throwing himself onto the sofa. The living room was cleaned regularly by Cloud; but Zack was the first person to sit in it for years. Realizing this, Cloud chuckled to himself.

"Right. Um, you should probably start explaining why you're here."

"I'm in your house, lying on your comfy sofa, waiting for you to tell me why the hell all the townspeople here hate you. And how come I've never seen you around before?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at that question.

"I thought the townspeople would have done a better job explaining," said Cloud thoughtfully, sinking down into the other end of the sofa where Zack wasn't sprawled on. The dark-haired man faced Cloud with a _look_.

"I want an explanation that does not consist of the words 'monster', 'witch' and 'devil-spawn'."

Cloud stared. For about, twenty seconds.

And then he burst into incontrollable laughter.

"Heh, I made a funny," said Zack, smirking. He watched in languid amusement as the blond nearly toppled to the floor in his breathless laughter. Cloud was pretty - so pretty Zack was starting to wonder if he often converted people on the streets from _het _to **homo **- and those blue eyes. God. Those blue eyes were so entrancing. And it was like...

...Like he was looking at the sky.

"Alright. But you have to explain to me why you don't know anything first," said Cloud, wiping the tears away from his eyes. He settled down on the sofa and stared at Zack expectantly.

"I moved here two years ago," said Zack. "So I'm still relatively new, I suppose."

"Ah... no wonder you know nothing," Cloud mused.

"So c'mon, tell me."

"Well, you aren't going to get the explanation you want. I suppose you should listen to the townspeople and stay away from this place."

"Cloud..."

"Let me show you to the door, Fair."

"No. I'm not leaving until you tell me why," said Zack firmly.

Cloud had gotten up to show his first (and last) guest to the door, but he stopped abruptly upon hearing Zack's words.

"Don't try me, Zack, I can forcefully make you leave. Please, just leave."

"I won't. I like you, Cloud. You look like a pretty fun guy to hang around with. And I don't want to listen to all those lies. Really, I don't."

"Those lies are what makes my life," said Cloud softly.

"Come on. Talk to me. I'm willing to listen."

"Zack..."

Cloud stared at him, while Zack stared defiantly back. Why did he want to know?

"I ..." Cloud bit his lip, frowning hesitantly.

"We've got all day, you know?" said Zack, smiling.

Cloud nearly lost himself in that smile. And pretty soon he was spilling his whole life story out to Zack, who sat there and listened and comforted the blond. Zack became Cloud's first true friend, and every week when Demyx called back, all Cloud could talk about was him.

"Honestly, Cloud," Demyx drawled, his voice sounding a little tired on the phone, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with him."

"I am not! He's just the first friend I've ever had," replied Cloud hotly. Demyx called back every Tuesday night; it was the only routine he'd ever stick to and Cloud was grateful for it.

"Denial, Cloud. Doesn't sound good on you. But I'm happy for you, really. Even though it's only been like, the fourth week you've been talking nonstop about him."

"Whatever, Dem. So when are you coming back?"

"Are you kidding? I'd never come back."

"...You don't mean that."

"Cloud..."

"No. You have to come back."

"Cloud. We suffered there. That place has nothing but bad memories. I think it's time you left too," said Demyx gently.

"But ..."

"I have to go, Cloud. I'll call again next week. Take care."

The conversation ended with a click and Cloud sat there for a long time, listening to the static dial tone, feeling as empty as it sounded.

* * *

Zack had taken to visiting Cloud very often after hearing the full story. He usually came after his work, most times when the sun was due to set, and they would talk and joke around and relax. There wasn't much to do in the Strife Mansion but Zack found a lot of different ways to leave his mark on the house. Cloud's neat, immaculate room often resembled a whirlwind disaster after Zack had left. He helped with dinner sometimes, and was occasionally invited to stay for it too, and exchanged witty banter with the supposedly "senile" old man, Merlin.

When he came round the day after Demyx's call, he was surprised to find Cloud looking so sullen, idly petting many young chicobos out in the backyard where they were kept.

"Cloud?"

"Hey, Zack," replied Cloud monotonously. He didn't look up, but instead continued staring at the young chicobos as they played and bit his gloves, looking for some snacks to eat.

"What's wrong? You look down," said Zack, sitting down beside the blond. The dirt and grass felt cool beneath his bum; the sun was setting and streaking a dark orange light across the sky. He stared at Cloud's pale face, illuminated by the setting of the sun, and his ethereally soft face seemed to glow, but not with happiness.

"Do I?" And Zack wondered if _beauty _meant hell of a bloody mess-up.

"Yes, you do. Mind telling me what's wrong?"

"... I have a brother, you know."

"Really? You never told me that."

"I didn't?" Cloud sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yeah."

"... He's the complete opposite of me. He's outgoing and cheerful and sometimes happy. He'd be happier if the people left him alone. But we were close... we were so close. We were all we had. Each other ... and then he left when he was 18. When I was 20. Ran off with some guy to get married."

"He's gay?" said Zack, his voice a tad higher. Cloud turned to regard him with curious blue eyes.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no," said Zack, gulping, wondering if it ran in families. "Go on."

"He calls every Tuesday night. Last night ... I asked him if he was coming back. He said he would never come back. He said I had to leave too, that I had nothing tying me to this place."

Cloud huddled his knees together, wrapping his arms around himself.

"He's right," came his voice, muffled. "I have nothing tying me to this place. But I don't want to leave now. Maybe I could have left when I was younger, now, but ... "

Cloud lifted his head up and turned to look at the dark-haired man, who swallowed in response to that haunting, penetrating stare.

_Oh God. He is too beautiful. _

"You've been the only friend I've ever had, Zack," said Cloud softly. "I can't make friends easily. I'm glad you came to me. You approached me. If you never did, I would never - "

The blond was silenced with a kiss. And he melted into it, into the warm embrace of what Zack had to offer, and a single tear rolled down his cheek; a memoir of his sadness and loneliness, only to be wiped away by Zack.

* * *

Review? Please? Even a short one will do, reviews keep me going!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all those who have reviewed! And I hope you'll continue reviewing after this chapter. Lol. Little bit of lemon (my very first time writing scenes like this lol)

**/Edit - WHY DOESNT LET ME UNDERLINE MY STORY TITLE! DAMMIT! IT LOOKS UGLY JUST BOLDED!!**

**Disclaimer: lightofeilia does not own. Square does. Alice Hoffman, part of it, I suppose. Practical Magic is LOVE. Go read it! **

**Of Normalcy and Magic: Chapter 4 **

"I knew it!" crowed Demyx triumphantly on the phone. Cloud groaned, massaging his forehead.

"Dem - "

"You were so in love with him, don't deny it!"

"He was a friend at first - "

"But you love him and I was right!"

"Alright, just shut up before I hang up on you!" said Cloud hotly.

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah ... thanks. I'm happy for myself too. I'm just a little bit worried, though."

"Worried? About what?"

"He's my first relationship. First friend. I don't really know what to do, you know."

"He'll lead you, I suppose. You look like the _uke _to me," said Demyx thoughtfully.

"...I'm hanging up on you."

"No, don't! Okay, okay. You'll both learn, and then can dominate anytime you want, yeah?"

"I am not discussing my sex life with you!"

"But dear brother, I have loads of experiences! I can give you tips! But I prefer being uke, maybe it runs in the family, you know? Pretty blonde hair and pretty blue eyes - hello? Hello?! Cloud! Aw fuck, he hung up -"

* * *

Their relationship was hardly what you could call normal to the townsfolk. They were, after all, the only gay couple around town. Cloud didn't want the public to know about his relationship with Zack and making him look bad in the people's eyes but Zack would have none of that. He disliked the pretentious townspeople anyway, and preferred to spend time with Cloud.

Zack would go to work in the morning, where he stoically bore the whispers and gossips with his sunny smile until the evening came when he was finally off work and could go over to Cloud's to cook up some dinner and chit chat a little. The old man whom Cloud lived with, Merlin, was okay with their relationship and Zack actually liked the old man's witty humour. Cloud never explained why he was there, and Zack never thought to ask. After dinner, they'd retreat to Cloud's room where they would lie together on the same bed, basking in the warmth of each other, talking about the future and other random things. And when it was late, sometimes Zack slept over and other times he went back home for a bit of his own privacy.

Cloud's past was rarely brought up ever since that fateful first day they met. Zack once asked if he had any happy memories when he was a child.

"Not a single one."

"Seriously? Not one?"

"No. Unless you count quitting high school as one."

"Yeah, I suppose that'll have to do," said Zack thoughtfully, hugging the blond closer to him as they snuggled on the warm comforter.

"I don't even have clear memories of my parents," said Cloud, realization dawning on him as he leaned into Zack's embrace.

"You don't? Why not? Come to think of it, you've never spoken about them before."

"... I just know they were killed. Kinda dangerous life, isn't it, us magic users."

"I still can't quite believe you can actually do that," said Zack, grabbing Cloud's hand and tracing patterns on his palm.

"Yeah, well," said Cloud idly, casting his mind around for another topic to talk about. Fortunately, Zack beat him to it.

"You know, I never thought I would be gay. I mean, my parents and all would have been happier with grandchildren and stuff, but well ..." he winked at Cloud, who smiled giddily at him. "Since I'm stuck with you, maybe we can adopt since we can't have children."

"We're not even married yet - "

"Would you?"

Heart beating like a hummingbird's wings, Cloud gulped. _Marry? Zack? Marry Zack? _

Knowing Zack was waiting for a response, he couldn't help but worry about the future. Biting his lip, he tried to think of a proper way to let Zack down gently. Even though the idea was appealing, it was still too fast...

Then something in his mind clicked.

"Um, Zack?"

"Spike, I was serious you know - "

"What do you mean ... we can't have children...?"

Zack sat up abruptly, staring at him incredulously. Ruffling his own messy hair of spikes, he answered.

"Cloud ... two men can't have children. It's not possible. It's a ... universal fact."

"I ... "

Gently, Zack pulled him into a soft embrace. Sensing something was the matter, Zack decided not to push it.

"Zack?" said Cloud timidly.

"Hmm?"

"I remember quite clearly that both my parents were men."

"What?!"

Sitting upright in shock, he turned to stare at Cloud, who was nervously biting his lip.

"Am I adopted?" he whispered to himself. "Oh God, what about Demyx?"

He was starting to hyperventilate. Alarmed, Zack tried to calm him down by rubbing his back soothingly.

"I - I need to know - Where's Merlin?" said Cloud, getting up from the bed. Before Zack could protest he was already being dragged out of the room by Cloud's death grip on his wrist.

"Merlin!" Cloud hollered. An echo of "I'm in the basement" was heard, and so they headed down there.

Zack's senses were immediately overwhelmed by the smoke clouding his sight and a waft of what smelled like fire. The old man stood in front of a cauldron, resplendent in a blue robe, making him look ridiculously like one of those wizards of old who mixed potions and owned black cats and did magic with a wand. He looked around in interest, but Cloud was not down here to see the sights.

"What can I do for you boys?" asked Merlin, keeping his eyes solely on his stirring potion.

"Tell me, Merlin. Am I adopted?" demanded Cloud. His grip on Zack's wrist tightened.

"No, my dear child. You are a pure family member of the Strife family. If you were adopted, you would not be able to use magic."

"But I clearly remember both of my parents were men!"

Merlin paused in his stirring, and turned to look at Cloud with wide eyes.

"I never told you?"

Cloud stamped his foot in anger and frustration, startling Zack for a second.

"What have you forgotten to tell us this time?!" said Cloud angrily, his voice rising.

"Cloud, there are _no _female members in the Strife family. All Strifes are males."

"But - " said Zack, sputtering. " - you need females to make babies!"

"Not in this family, no," said Merlin. Sighing, he looked at Cloud who was starting to hyperventilate again. Zack seemed torn between holding up the blond or fainting himself.

"You mean - you mean - " Cloud choked out, barely managing a coherent sentence.

"You can have children. Rejoice!"

Cloud and Zack promptly collapsed to the floor.

"Boys these days ... so weak," grumbled Merlin to himself as he dragged the two to the living hall couch and dumped them there unceremoniously before returning to his work.

* * *

Zack was the first one to wake up.

"Cloud?" he murmured gently, shaking the blond's shoulder. Cloud's head lolled backwards, exposing his pale neck to Zack. Swallowing thickly, he forced himself to look away from that inviting expanse of skin and concentrated on waking Cloud up.

"Cloud. C'mon, wake up..."

"Wha...?" muttered Cloud blearily. He blinked at Zack, who was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What happened - oh."

The events of only a mere ten minutes ago came back to him. Groaning, he clutched his forehead, massaging it desperately.

"Oh Gaia. I'm - I'm - "

"Impregnable?" offered Zack. Cloud threw him a shrewd look.

"Impregnable means 'safe against attacks'. You know, like ... impenetrable. Not ... whatever you meant. But oh Gaia, where's the baby going to come out from?"

They both sat in silence, trying to imagine. They shuddered.

"Mmm, but Cloud..." said Zack, suddenly feeling naughty. He leaned closer and licked Cloud's neck. Cloud inhaled sharply, eyes widening. Zack licked all the way to the blond's mouth, lapping lightly at his lips, seeking entrance. Cloud allowed it, closing his eyes and easing onto his back on the couch. Zack pulled back from the kiss, staring down at Cloud's body beneath him.

"Imagine how our children would look like," said Zack happily as he leaned in to nuzzle the blond's neck.

Cloud wanted to protest, wanted to say that he wasn't going to have children until they were completely sure of each other ... but Zack's right hand deftly slipped under his shirt, rubbing against his stomach. Cloud arched into his touch, sky-blue eyes taking on a slightly glazed look. His cock was stirring in his pants, and he could feel Zack's hardness pressing into his thigh, and the feeling jolted his nerves and went straight to his groin. Zack's hand relocated; gripping Cloud's rapidly hardening cock through the fabric of his pants. Moaning, he thrust upwards into Zack's hand, wanting to feel more of that insanely pleasurable touch.

"Can I - " said Zack, licking his lips. "Can I have a look?"

Cloud turned his gaze away from the ceiling to Zack's eyes, recoiling at his intense stare. No one had ever looked at him this way before, eyes so deeply filled with lust and love, and longing.

When was the last time he felt wanted?

Shyly, he nodded, and Zack eagerly pushed his shirt up, smirking as he caught sight of Cloud's nipples, and he leaned in to kiss them ...

"Are you boys awake yet - oh dear Gaia!"

Startled, Zack sprang off the couch, landing painfully on the floor. Cloud shrieked and quickly pulled his shirt down, not wanting to scar the old man's eyes.

"You pass out, and when you wake up you start making out? Gaia!" said Merlin, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Now listen to me closely. If you want a baby, Cloud will have to drink a potion first. Without the potion, you can have sex and you don't need protection to do it. Understand?"

Hearing the word 'sex' from Merlin's mouth gave Cloud the chills. They nodded dumbly, and Merlin stalked off back to his basement, muttering something about earplugs. Blushing furiously, they retreated to Cloud's room, where the awkwardness remained along with the sexual tension.

Until Zack pounced on him, falling together onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Startled, Cloud gasped in surprise but the sound immediately turned to one of moaning as Zack attacked his lips with renewed vigour. Tugging at the shirt, he managed to pull it off the blond, his eyes raking over the glorious body beneath him. Humming slightly to himself, he leaned down to kiss his nipples, goaded by the delicious sounds Cloud was making. Hoping he wasn't rushing things, he tugged slowly at the waistband of Cloud's pants, pulling it down together with his underwear to reveal his prize.

"Zack," said Cloud urgently, gasping for air, "I don't - I don't think I'm ready yet."

"It's alright... I won't take you yet," said Zack soothingly, moving from one nipple to the other. Cloud's responsive body was shivering slightly beneath his frame. "I'm not ready yet too."

"Then why are you still - ah!"

Cloud was cut off rather rudely from a well-placed squeeze at the base of his cock. Heart beating insanely fast, he watched as Zack took off his shirt as well, tossing it to the side without a thought. Cloud swallowed hard at Zack's intense gaze, and he found he wanted more, wanted Zack to want him, wanted to pleasure Zack and be pleasured himself...

"This is not really considered sex," said Zack, smirking as he leaned down to kiss the base of Cloud's neck, grinding his body against Cloud's.

Cloud moaned louder, his head arching back into the pillows as Zack began to set a rhythm. They moved together, Zack keeping a firm hold on Cloud's hips. Cloud was inhaling sharply with every move, his eyes shut tightly in an expression of pleasure, and Zack never thought he'd see anything more beautiful than Cloud. The blonde's face was flushed pink, and he was panting heavily, occasionally choking out Zack's name. Cloud's hands were scrabbling at his back, struggling for something to hold on to as Zack continued his thrusts. When he tweaked a nipple Cloud jerked his body upwards, losing his hold on Zack. He clutched the bedsheets instead, pushing harder against Zack. The next thing he knew, he was screaming Zack's name as the pent up desire in him exploded, and pretty soon Zack's sharp exclamation came after.

Spent, Zack leaned heavily on the smaller body beneath him, but Cloud held on to him, hands still shivering in the aftermath.

"Stay the night?" whispered Cloud, reaching for their discarded shirts to wipe off the mess they made, taking off his pants as he did so.

"Mmm," replied Zack as he let Cloud clean him up, shaking off his pants. Sighing contentedly, he tugged the blond closer to himself and they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The topic of children was never really discussed fully, mostly because they couldn't come to a proper decision without being interrupted by a hot, heavy make-out session. Zack had not pressed the issue of marriage either, sensing that Cloud still wasn't ready for it yet. Marriage between two men was something quite unheard of, and so they really had no idea how to go about it. It wasn't that Cloud wasn't ready; he was pretty sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Zack. He was only worried about how his status would affect Zack's in the town. It's pretty hard to bully a grown man, granted, but to feel ostracized in a town where you lived ... Cloud didn't want Zack to live through that. He toyed with the idea of leaving but then where would they go?

Meanwhile Zack was starting to show a little impatience during one of their impromptu make out sessions. Cloud still hesitated about going all the way, and Zack took this as a sign that Cloud was still unsure of their relationship in general, which hurt. A lot.

And there was only so much he could take before he'd snap and corner Cloud and jump him right there and then. The only thing stopping him from doing that was Cloud's awesome magic skills and he knew how to defend himself. Zack really didn't want bruised balls...

He figured he'd save money for the ring first.

* * *

The chapter had to end, sorry if the ending sucked... Well, so teh MPREG has been XPLAINeD! Lol. Yeap, two cute little kids are gonna pop out of Cloud. And no prizes for guessing who. Lol.

This is, of course, if Zack manages to pull off the romancing thing correctly. Hehehehehe.

Review?


	5. Chapter 5

I think I might need a beta... sorry for any grammatical mistakes ... -cringe-

I also chose not to write the sex. I just ... suck at it. So badly.

**Of Normalcy and Magic: Chapter 5 **

Zack was _not _happy.

Sure -- he was about to get hitched, which equals finally being able to bed the man of his dreams after a horrendously long period of make-out sessions and cases of blue balls -- which also came with the perks of hopefully being a father ... but.

BUT.

His masculinity!

It was wounded! It was _dying_!

"Give it a rest," said Cloud, yawning. Reaching out to ruffle Zack's hair, he grinned wickedly. "You still not over that yet?"

"NO. AND I NEVER WILL BE," said Zack, gritting his teeth.

The grin widened on Cloud's face widened.

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it, _Mrs. Strife_," said Cloud sweetly. "You're marrying into the family, no matter how manly you think you must be."

"I _AM _MANLY."

Sighing, Cloud flopped into the older man's lap, staring up at his scowling face. The twin-sized bed Cloud had always slept on was going to be put in the guestroom as soon as the newly ordered king sized bed arrived. The bed held many memories for Cloud, including some particularly _recent _ones, but he realized that if they were going to get married, they would need a bigger bed in order to do unspeakable things without falling off the bed...

"Think about something else," murmured Cloud, hand reaching out to poke Zack's chin. Heaving a huge sigh, Zack caught the hand and stroked it gently.

"I wanted to ask you," he mumbled, barely audible. "I even bought a ring for you. But you fucking _beat me to it_."

Chuckling darkly, Cloud snatched his hand back from Zack's grip. "Okay then."

He took off the ring from his finger, the one he had bought to match the one he gave Zack. He could still remember the disbelief on Zack's face when he had proposed. Zack certainly wasn't expecting Cloud to make the first move. Smiling lightly at the memory, he focused on the present and stared expectantly at the dark-haired man.

A grin slowly crept across the other's face. Fishing around in his pocket for the ring, he got up from the bed.

"Cloud Strife," he proclaimed loudly, on his knee. Zack wasn't wearing a shirt, and he had mismatched socks on. His hair was messy like it always was. There weren't any flowers, nor romantic scenery or atmosphere; the room was excessively hot as it was summer and outside the villagers were gathering to hold a protest against the upcoming marriage.

It didn't matter, as long as Zack could keep looking at him like that forever.

"Will you marry me?"

He said yes, and kissed Zack long and deep, one hand tangling in the dark mess of hair as he felt the other ring slip onto his finger.

* * *

As Zack's parents didn't live in Hollow Bastion, the only one who blessed their marriage was Merlin and the chocobos Cloud grew up with.

Not forgetting Demyx, of course, who squealed a squeal of fangirlism proportions over the phone when Cloud told him the news.

He refused to come for the wedding, however. Demyx swore an oath never to set foot into that town ever again, and not even his beloved brother's wedding to another man would make him come back.

This caused a lot of tension between the two brothers; Cloud desperately wanted Demyx to be there and to come home. After Cloud had finished accepting Demyx's numerous congratulations, Merlin had a conversation with him that lasted a minute at the most. Cloud was trying to listen in on the conversation, but Merlin said only one sentence and hung up the phone.

"What did you tell him?"

"I merely told him the truth."

"Which is what?" said Cloud impatiently.

"That he cannot run forever," said Merlin, his eyes boring into Cloud's.

Chills ran up and down his spine, as Demyx's promise never to return rang in his ears.

* * *

The marriage was uneventful, except for the protesting of the villagers outside of the Strife Mansion, but that was just extra details. After all, with an enormous sword planted right outside the gates of the mansion, nobody would dare step in. They were all on the street opposite of the mansion, as a matter of fact, which doesn't do much at all if they were to protest a union between a man and a ... magic-wielding man.

Other than that, it was held in the expansive backyard of the Strife mansion, with Merlin as witness (and the rest of the chocobos).

Merlin announced that he had bought earplugs. That was pretty much the extent of "I pronounce you man and husband" as far as Merlin was concerned.

A blushing Cloud was swept up immediately in the arms of his manly new husband, intent on getting to the bedroom at breakneck speed. They were stopped, however, by Merlin. From inside his robes he pulled out a small flask and waved it at their faces.

"Have you decided?"

The potion was bright, with a tinge of orange and yellow to it, and Cloud was certain it was glowing. Slightly apprehensive, Cloud stared at it, and then at Zack, and then at Merlin. And then back to Zack.

"Hey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know," said Zack, tightening his grip on the blond.

Cloud knew he was lying. Zack wanted kids as much as he wanted to bed Cloud every night.

"You're not leaving me all by myself to take care of them, right?"

"Them?" said Zack, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," said Merlin, stroking his beard. "There must always be Strife brothers. There must always, always be night and day."

Cloud smirked and grabbed the potion from Merlin's hands. They were gone in a split second, leaving Merlin behind, chuckling to himself.

* * *

Nine months later, a baby boy was born to the new Strife-Fair family, and there was much happiness all around those concerned. The boy, wailing in Cloud's arms, was given the name Sora, and he was special, according to Merlin, for he was the only Strife ever to have brown hair.

"That's really weird," said Cloud, frowning down at his son, who was tucked in his arms. Baby Sora's movements were still jerky. Zack was poking the little bundle of joy, laughing delightedly as he did so.

"What's weird?" said Zack, stroking the little brunet hairs on the baby's head.

"That Sora's not blond."

"Well…"

"I mean. Genetically, he shouldn't be brunet."

"Maybe – maybe when you mix black hair and blond hair you end up with brunet hair?"

Cloud just stared at his husband wordlessly before breaking out into peals of laughter.

* * *

Had to end it here. Lol. So. I didn't do the sex, I didn't talk about breastfeeding, I didn't talk about the giving birth part, because it squicks me (even though I AM writing this, lol). I'll just leave it up to you guys to imagine. Mpreg doesn't need to be explained -defensive mechanism- lol

I think this chapter was too rushed. :( Well, please review! Thanks!


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